Astroturf families hit by thieves in the night

IT seems the perfect solution for busy homeowners who do not like mowing the lawn.

But the problem with astroturf is that it’s portable – and vulnerable to theft, as victims can testify.

This week, two families have been left without a lawn following audacious overnight thefts at the weekend.

Sue Scorer could not believe her eyes on Sunday morning when she looked out of the window of her home in Livingstone, West Lothian to find her £3,000 artificial lawn had disappeared.

The 30-year-old mother of Aaron, eight, and Charlie, four, said: ‘I was washing my hands when I saw that the trampoline was on the other side of the gar-

‘The kids are really upset’

den. I opened the window to see what was going on and saw all the grass was gone and the fence was down. I was in shock, I couldn’t believe it. I called the police straight away.

‘It had to be planned. There was no way someone was just strolling past and decided to take it. I was so shocked because it’s been down for four years – it’s not like it was freshly laid. The kids are really upset.’

She says a neighbour who had taken up their artificial grass for an extension to be built had it stolen on the same night.

She added: ‘My neighbour caught it all on CCTV. It looks like three young men, all with their hoods up. Half of my grass was later found in a bush about three streets over.’

A Police Scotland spokesman said last night: ‘Inquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible.’